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Gov. George Pataki, speaking this afternoon at a press conference in the Montgomery County town of Root, put a damper on expectations that an endorsement from him in the GOP gubernatorial race is imminent.

“I have no current plans of making an endorsement,” Pataki said. “I have from now until November.”

Talk has been swirling for days that Pataki would select a favorite Republican to run for the office he’ll vacate Dec. 31, and his pick would likely be former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld.Â

Last week, anÂ aide to the governorÂ told meÂ it was likely, but not certain, PatakiÂ wouldÂ endorse a candidate before theÂ GOP convention in Long Island next week.Â WithÂ Pataki’s own comments today, that seems increasingly uncertain.

Pataki alsoÂ seems to feelÂ no one’s backing – not even his – will be enough to make or break a candidate.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any annointment that’s going toÂ open theÂ doors or close the doors,” the governor said. Â

Pataki said both Weld and Faso are running “good” camapigns, and added they “both represent the mainstream of the Republican Party.”

That strikes me as sending a subtle “knock it off” message to those in the Weld camp seeking to discredit Faso as too conservative and “extreme” to beÂ viable. Another one of those missives came out today, this time from the Republican Main Street Partnership PAC.Â

The group hit Faso for his legislative record, assailing him for voting against things like the construction of youth centers and leading a campaign against the 1997 School Facility Health and Safety Bond Act, which would have borrowed $2.4 million to pay for school construction.

(Faso disapproved of the borrowing in part because the state then – as now – overburdened by debt, and also because the act didn’t spell out how the money would be allocated. It was ultimately rejected by voters).

The Main Street Partnership PAC’s press release argued only a candidate “notÂ beholden to anÂ extremist right-wing ideology” can “protect and expand on the legacy of Governor Pataki.” So far, it appears Pataki doesn’t feel like his legacy’s in any danger.

(Thanks to the TU’s transportationÂ reporter, Cathy Woodruff, who traveled to Root to catch Pataki announce legislation to create an independent state Canal Corp., phasing out its current funding through the Thruway Authority and its tolls).

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